Summer Lovin'

Before I forget - there will not be a weigh-in post this week until Wednesday.  I've decided that being that bootcamp starts on Wednesday, it will be best to weigh in then and then weigh in each week on Wednesdays to track my progress.

Ok - so summer is here and it's hitting me HARD!  Yeah, the allergies suck, but I have also bloomed into wanting to enjoy every minute of it.  I broke my own advice on Thursday, and went out and bought a new summer wardrobe.  Remember the post where I said not to do that?? Yeah, well, I did.  The difference, though, I bought DRESSES!!  Yep, after the first couple of dresses I bought a few weeks ago - I just wanted more.  Wearing dresses is so much cooler during the hot weather - and they are so darn cute!  Also, I can still wear the dresses after losing more weight.  It was so exhilerating shopping in the women's department of the store, rather than the plus size section.  I opted for bright colors like red and pink, and also a couple of blue dresses.  I also got really funky and painted my fingernails - hot pink and purple!!  I alternated the colors on my fingers and toes.  Now, I feel younger, hipper, and just all around funky!! LOL

My family are all here for the holiday weekend, so going to have to keep my post short today.  I promise that this next week I will talk less about how wonderful I'm feeling and get back on track with the weight loss talk.  Here are a few pics from my trip to the zoo on Friday with my 2 year old.  The first pic was taken last year on our trip to the zoo, and the others are from this year....see a difference?

Holiday Weekend Approaching...uh oh!! ;

So, it's almost here - Memorial Day.  The first of two summer holidays (4th of July being the second) devoted to fun, food, and drink.  I, like the majority of the country, celebrate Memorial Day by firing up the grill, filling the cooler with beer, and enjoying the day with family eating and drinking.  This year, of course, has to be different.

Memorial day just happens to be my holiday - meaning my family all come to my house.  My parents and I switch off holidays.  I get Memorial day and Thanksgiving, they get 4th of July and Christmas.  Luckily for me, my mom and sister are also trying to lose weight - so I will at least have some support for my "healthy-er" holiday.  We will still have the barbeque, drink, and fun...but with a healthy twist.  It's time to load up on turkey dogs, hamburger patties made from 97/3 hamburger meat, chicken breasts and fresh salad instead of the dreaded potato salad.  We grill pretty much Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - so I will be breaking up all that food between those three days. It's not Memorial Day without a drink or two - so I will have a rum and diet coke.  Moderation is the key when drinking alcohol - so two drinks will be the max.  The rest of the day, I will be drinking flavored water with fresh fruit slices and berry green tea. 

My point with all of this, is you can still enjoy the holidays - just change things up a bit. 

Till next time.  ;)

Time for a Change

Yesterday was one of those days that made me say "it's time to change something".  I do this a lot.  Maybe it's a change in workouts, or a change in the types of shoes I wear...yesterday it was a change in me as a person (with a couple of materialistic changes on the side..HA!).

Being a senior in college at 28 is a wonderful feeling. I'm finally achieving my dream of becoming a teacher, I have made some wonderful friends, and I dedicated myself 100% to doing a great job.  Yesterday, I also came to the realization that I have changed as a person - I'm more confident in the way I feel about myself.

I explained a few days ago how I was starting to feel more "girly" and that has a lot to do with the change that I'm feeling.  I also feel younger, more care-free - and decided it was time to let that "me" show.  So, last night I went and had my hair chopped off...literally, it's short.  I wanted something funky, edgy, and different - and that's exactly what I got. (The pictures don't do it justice - it's not fixed...I will post new pics hopefully tomorrow with it all fixed).  My hair cut was the physical representation of the new me that is emerging - but the internal changes are also amazing. 

So, switching gears just a bit, I just have to take a second to talk about last night's Biggest Loser Finale.  I was so happy to see the transformations that the contestants made - but my mouth hit the floor when Mike walked onto the stage.  If you haven't seen the show, Mike started the competition weighing 526lbs!!  Last night, after 6 months, he weighed in around 250lbs!!  He lost half of his body weight in 6 months! When I saw him come through that paper image of him at 526lbs all I could think was "DAMN, HE'S HOTT!!"..LOL  Then it hit me - look at what these people have done.  They have gone from severely overweight to absolutely gorgeous.  To tie this in with today's post - that's how I want to feel, and starting to feel. 

Today is a new day for me, ladies and gals.  It's time for me to finally be the beautiful one.  So, look out, cause new, sexy me is emerging...and I'm not going to stop until she's completely out of her shell.

Here's a couple more pics of the "do":

Till next time.  ;)

Allergies are in the Air...UGH!!

There's nothing better than living in the woods with nature's beauty outside every window...except, of course, if you suffer from severe seasonal allergies.  Yep, it's that time of year again.  Flowers are in bloom, leaves on the trees, beautiful green grass - all of which lead to itchy, watery eyes and and runny nose. 

Allergies are such a damper on someone that is trying to lose weight.  I don't mind working out inside, but I really love being able to go out early on the weekends and run. Can't do that if you spend the whole time sneezing, and not being able to see from watery eyes.

I really HATE to take medicines of any kind.  I consider myself a naturalist, and not a fan of any medicines.   I try to put up with allergies as long as I can, and use a number of natural remedies - but sometimes I just have to break down and take something.  The problem with that, no matter what I take it knocks me out.  I'm serious, I can't even take an advil without it causing me to be drowsy and groggy for a good 2 hours!!  I don't take cold medicines, pain pills - nada - and if I do break down and take an allergy pill, it puts me out of commission.  I don't know what to do. 

It makes me a little nervous about bootcamp, because I will spending a lot of time exercising outside.  I'm hoping that I can just suck it up (or sniff it up in this situation) and I won't have too many problems.  That's wishful thinking - but it's the best that I can do. 

Anyways - enough of my "poor me" pity party - time to get ready for another fun filled day.  I'm thinking I'm going to break out the Last Chance DVD workout tonight - although I haven't decided if I should do it before or after the Biggest Loser Season Finale.  Oh yeah, I'm so excited about that.  I can't wait to see how well the contestants have done.  I'm rooting for Mike - cause that guy is my serious motivation.  In 5 months he managed to lose over 200lbs!!!  Now that is amazing! 

Wow - sorry about the blah blog today....I'm gonna blame it on the allergies ;)

Till next time.  ;)

Time to Feel the Burn

Today is weigh-in day, and I was not happy with my result.  This week's weight is 226lbs.  :(  I've gained a pound, and I only have myself to blame.  I never like to see a weight gain, but it's no good to let it bring me down - it's just a reminder that if I don't work hard, I'm not going to see results.

Like I said yesterday, this week is going to be all about preparing myself for bootcamp that starts a week from Wednesday.  I've already got my gym set up and this evening, I will be on the treadmill and then following that off with a good weight work-out.

I had a funny conversation with a friend yesterday that I had to bring up.  When I explained my plan to her, the first thing she said was "be careful with doing too much with weights, you don't want the fat to turn into muscle".  Now, the funny thing is, I've heard this comment A LOT!  I don't want to call anyone out, but I do want to burst that myth right here and now.  So we are all clear, it is impossible for fat to turn INTO muscle.  Muscle is muscle, fat is fat.  One doesn't turn into the other.  When you're overweight, your muscles are weak and surrounded by fat.  In order to tone the muscle and burn off the fat, you have to weight train. 

Now, if I had my choice, I would work out on the treadmill every night - but that's just not going to give me the results I'm looking for.  My journey isn't just about losing weight, it's about getting fit and healthy.  To be fit, I need strong muscles.  Cardio is AWESOME for burning fat, but it just doesn't give the full body workout that is needed to strengthen and tone muscle. 

So, today I've admitted my 1lb weight gain, dispelled a myth, and committed myself to you all about preparing myself to hard work this week.  That's not bad for a day's blog..LOL  Now, it's time to honor that committement so that this time next week - that stinkin' number on the scale will be better.

Till next time ;)

Time for Boot Camp Preparation

So, I'm down to only a week and a half left before bootcamp.  I'm so excited.  My working out the past couple of weeks have been everything BUT consistent.  I'm not going to lay out the excuses because there aren't any - excuses are like assholes, everyone has got one.  It's just basically coming down to not feeling like working out...that's BAD!!!

To me, bootcamp is going to be that kick up the ass I need to get back into regular work-out mode.  There's just one thing that has been on my mind the past couple of days - and that is, I don't want to show up and be the only person there that can't do a single push-up.  I want to get myself into some form of mindset for the 6 week challenge that lies ahead.  That means, this week I plan on upping the ante and pushing myself through some hardcore workouts. 

Now that my office/ gym is all set up here at home - there's no reason why I shouldn't be doing this every day, but no good to dwell on the past.  This next week is going to be all about cardio and weight training.  I'm figuring 45 mins - an hour on the treadmill followed by some reps on the weights.  I also will throw some work-out DVDs in there - like my Jillian Michaels DVD or my Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout.  That's what this next week is all about - my last chance before the really hard stuff begins.

So, wish me luck - it's a now or never situation. I either work my ass off this coming week, or show up to bootcamp next week as the weakest person.  The latter is not an option - I'm too damn competitive for that.  Even though the bootcamp isn't a competition, it is to me.  It's a personal competition to prove that I can do it...the best motivation in the world.

Till next time.  :)

Finding the Girl Within

As a fat chick, I was never one for glitz and glamour.  I was much happier in sweats, t-shirt, tennis shoes, and a messy pony tail.  I hate seeing overweight people wearing skin tight clothing, so I wasn't about to scare others with a similar style.

Now that the weight is coming off, I'm starting to feel more "girly".  One big step for that is now being able to find clothes in the women's section of the store rather than only being able to shop in the plus sizes.  Now, there's nothing wrong with the plus size clothing - but more often than not, the clothes I found there were hardly "flattering" (no pun intended).  Going from a size 22-24 to a size 18 has been a huge accomplishment, but I'm still along way from being done,  With that said, however, I haven't been able to help buying new things that show the more femine side of myself.  One thing I learned very quickly, however, is that going out and replacing my wardrobe for size 18 clothing isn't something I want to do.  I've browsed consignment stores and boutiques, and I always check out the clearence racks at clothing stores.  I've been really lucky, thus far.  I have a few pairs of pants and shirts that are size 18, and they will do me until I move down to a size 16. 

Today, I couldn't help myself, and broke down and bought a couple of summer dresses.  Now, the word "dress" has NEVER been in my vocabulary.  I have never been a dress wearer, or a dress liker.  I really don't know what happened to me today while I was out.  I just had this urge come over me that said "it's time, go find a nice dress".  So, I went over to the dress section and ended up buying 3 of them!!  Now, one good thing about dresses is that they can be good for a while regardless of size.  What I mean by that is if I lose some more weight, the dresses will still fit.  I can wear a belt with them, and don't have to worry about that "too big" look. 

I'm really digging this new girly feeling I'm having.  Yes, I'm still overweight, but I've lost a lot of weight - and for that I'm proud.  So, I will get a couple of pics later in my new digs and maybe post them tomorrow.  :)

Till next time.  ;)

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I Love Ya Tomorrow....

One of the biggest obstacles I've been working with my weight loss is the magical saying "I'll just do it tomorrow". 

Who hasn't planned on getting up 30 minutes early to work out, just to hit the snooze button and say "I'll get up early tomorrow", or come home from a long day with every intention of working out to say "Ugh, it's been a long day, I'll work out tomorrow".  Well, one thing I've realized - TOMORROW NEVER COMES!!

Now, I'm so guilty of this very thing.  I don't know how many times I've planned on having a long workout, or going out for a run only to say "I'll make up for it tomorrow".  The worst one I've had to deal with is "I can eat a slice of pizza, I'll just work out harder tomorrow".  Well, that's all good and well - but TOMORROW NEVER COMES!!

Are we seeing a pattern here??  So, how do you fix it??  That's a great question that I wish I had the answer for.  I still struggle with it every day.  The only way that I've been able to deal with it is by not saying those words.  I've found if I say "if I don't get my ass on that treadmill, I'm going to regret it come weigh-in day" or "it's been a stressful day, I bet a run would help deal with it" I'm more likely to actually do what it is I've intended to do.  Try putting a motivating or postivite attachment on things.  Instead of thinking of getting to that workout as a chore, think of it as a reward. 

So, I wanted to throw this post in here because I wanted people to see that I'm no expert when it comes to losing weight.  I try to share the things that are working for me, the things that don't work, and the things that I struggle with.  This is a process that I'm still learning - and still having trouble with. 

The idea came to me this morning when a question was posed on a forum that I'm a member of.  The question was "would you ever consider taking a dear Abby job, if it was offered to you?"  Well, my response was that I kind of feel that I already hold some kind of similar accountability with this blog and the questions that I answer from people about my weight loss.  Then I thought, well, I'm no Jillian Michaels so am I really helping people if I haven't accomplished my goals yet?  Well, yes - I think I am.  In my opinion, people can follow this blog and take what they can from it.  I want people to see my struggles, my accomplishments, and my downfalls and learn what they can from them.  At the end of the day, this blog is a level of accountability that I use for my own motivation.  I feel that if I know people are counting on me to suceed, maybe it will motivate them to do the same.  So, hopefully, I'm doing that.

Till next time.  ;)

Time to Build Up Your Mental Math Skills

Whenever I tried to lose weight in the past, one thing that always bogged me down and wore me out was the constant record keeping.  "Write down everything you eat", "write down all the calories you eat", "write down all the exercise you do, and for how long"...ugh, the list could go on and on.  Well, no flippin wonder people don't have time to work on losing weight!!

Now, that doesn't mean there's not some record keeping that has to be done.  I tried not keeping track of anything - and that backfired BIG TIME!!  So, with all things, I figured there had to be a happy medium.  How could I keep track of how many calories I was eating without having to spend all day jotting everything into a handy dandy notebook?

Well, my friends, it basically comes down to some mental math.  I have never found out the real reason why people keep a food journal.  I'm not a weight loss expert, and I know that the experts have lists of reasons why it's important to forever be reminded of how much you eat every single day of your life - but that's just not for me.  In my opinion, I think it's important to keep track of what I eat every single day - but once the day is over, it's over and I move on to the next. 

So, mental math - right - my recommended calorie intake for my weight and height is between 1400-1600 calories a day.  So, I break each meal up: 300 - 400 calories for breakfast, 300 - 400 calories for lunch, 400 calories for dinner.  That gives me 1000 - 1200 calories.  Then I throw in two to three snacks of 100 - 200 calories - one mid morning, one mid afternoon, and then maybe one early evening (before workout if I'm on the lower end of calories for the day).  That gives me 1400 - 1600 calories.  It's so much simpler to take each meal at a time and figure out the calories - then making a mental note for the next meal, and so on.

Here's an example of my typical day of eating:

Breakfast (7am):
Weight watchers muffin - 180 calories
Glass of Orange juice - 100 calories
Two cups of coffee - 20 calories
Total breakfast calories:  300

Snack (10am):
Banana - 105 calories


Lunch
2 pieces of bread - 140 calories
2 pieces of deli ham (97% fat free) - 80 calories
Slice of fat free cheese - 25 calories
Fat free yogurt - 80 calories
Total lunch calories:  325

Snack
Granola bar - 90 calories
Glass of 1% milk - 100 calories

Dinner:
4ozs salmon (cooked in non calorie cooking spray) - 100 calories
1 cup brown rice - 300 calories
1 cup steamed cauliflower - 25 calories
Total dinner calories: 425

Evening snack:
Cup of grapes - 103 calories

Total calories for the day: 1448

Now, 1448 is a crappy number to try and add up in your head - so just round.  Figure out your exact calories per meal, and then round it - say you ate 190 calories for snack...just round to 200.  Keeps a nice round number in your head.  It's simple to figure, simple to remember, and you still keep yourself on track for your caloric intake.

I also have to throw a quick preach in here about calorie counting.  I know it sounds like a good idea to eat as few as calories as possible in order to lose weight - THAT'S NOT TRUE!!  Slashing your calories below your recommended range may help you shed a few pounds fast - but they will fly back just as fast once you start picking up your calories.  It's safer, healthier, and more beneficial to slowly decrease your caloric intake every couple of weeks until you get down to the weight you're shooting for.  Then eat the recommended calorie intake to maintain that weight.

Till next time.  :)

And Today's Weight is????

I have designated Mondays as my official days for getting on the scale.  It's nice to have one day a week to see how I'm doing - and knowing that it's the first day after the weekend keeps me in check during it. 

This week's weigh in is a momentous one.  Today marks 4 months since I started my journey to getting healthy and losing weight.  It's amazing how quickly the time has flown by - and I'm so proud of all that I've accomplished in that time.

So, without any more delay....my weigh in this week is......

225lbs!!!!

Starting weight on January 17th:  263lbs

That's a total to date weight loss of 38lbs.  That's almost the 40lbs I was achieving for.  I didn't reach my goal weight - but I'm happy with being so darn close. 

My next goal is to be 199lbs by August 17th.  That's 3 months to lose 26lbs.  That's a reasonable goal, I think. 

I know today's blog is short - but Monday posts will probably be like this.  I like to bask in my glory..LOL

Till next time!

Night On The Town - Nature's Cure for Stress!!

Last night, I decided it was time for a night out.  I sent out a public service announcement on Facebook to rally up the troops.  I managed to gather together two additional friends, and we headed out for the night.  We headed to a margarita bar, and then met up with three more friends.  It was amazing how friends, laughter, and a margarita can make all the weight of the world disappear.

I haven't really gotten into my personal feelings with my latest posts, but I was really feeling down in the dumps.  My motivation had really dwindled, the stress of going to school EVERY day and then getting all my homework done at night was leading to less and less sleep.  I was exhausted, frazzled, and just in need of some "girl time".  Well, I found all the medicine I needed last night.

Not only did my night out help lift off some stress that I've been dealing with  -but it also had a postitive impact on my weight loss achievements.  I've been out to bars and clubs with friends before - but I'm just usually the overweight buddy that offers a good laugh.  Last night, on more than one occasion, I was involved with the "prowlers".  Prowlers are those drunk guys that hit on the women at bars.  Most people feel that prowlers are a pain in the ass - and they are, especially when you're enjoying a night out with the girls - but to me, the prowlers last night were a confidence boost.  It showed that my weight loss is having some kind of impact on my personal appearance - and that was actually a great feeling. 

I also deleted a personal fear last night, thanks to my new found confidence.  I have always LOVED to sing, and LOVE kareoke.  I've sang in front of people before - but I usually have to be pretty wasted before that will happen - and I will usually only sing in front of people I know.  Last night, I was able to get up in front a crowded bar - sober - and sing not once, but twice!!!  It's such an amazing feeling to get up on stage and not think that the people are thinking "look at this fat ass trying to sing".  That thought didn't cross my mind.  The patrons cheered and applauded - and I felt GREAT!!!

So, I learned a valuable lesson last night - I'm getting my self confidence back.  I can go out with my beautiful, skinny friends and not feel like the odd ball.  An amazing feeling - and one that has refilled my motivation meter.  Thank you my wonderful friends!!

Till next time.  :)

Officially Enlisted!!

Well, that's it, my enlistment papers are signed and I'm officially enrolled in Fitness Bootcamp.  The camp begins June 2nd, and after my visit to the facility today I'm excited and a little nervous. 

I met with the bootcamp head instructor today, and he's a great guy.  He's friendly, motivating, and very supportive.  He explained the whole process - and that part left me on the uneasy side.  Hearing about what's going to be expected of me was a little daunting, but hearing that I'm going to lose some serious weight and gain serious muscle eased that fear just a little.  He shared some of the success stories that he's had in the past, and told me that as long as I show up for every session I will achieve my goal of getting under 200lbs by the beginning of August.

The facility really is amazing.  I've driven by the World Gym many times, but never been inside.  It is definately a top of the line facility - and the obstacle course, well, not sure how to describe that.  If there's anything about this course that resembles a real military bootcamp, it's the course.  I'm not sure how I'm going to get across monkey bars, climb up walls, climb up rope ladders, and all that jazz - but I will give it a damn good try. 

So, I got a few weeks before I start.  That's given me some motivation to get off my arse and start working out again.  I DO NOT want to show up on my first day, and be back to square one on my fitness level.  I've worked hard the first four months, so I want to be ready to face competition my first night - not eating their dust.

Till next time.  :)

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!!

The past couple of days, I've had several discussions with different people about the definition of dieting.  It's amazing how different people view diets.  My favs from the past couple of days:

"Dieting is how you lose weight.  You only eat healthy stuff until you lose the weight you want to lose."
"Dieting means watching how many calories you eat and cutting out the junk until you lose weight"
"Dieting means living off rabbit food [salad], and that just doesn't work for me"

Before I poke fun at those views of dieting, I have to poke at myself.  I was a person that has "been there, done that" with all three of those dieting views.  I ate really healthy food until I lost some weight, and then ate "regular" food again - and all the weight magically reappeared (and then some).  I watched calories and stayed away from junk food, and I lived off "rabbit food" until I couldn't take it anymore. 

I'm not going to give you a definition of dieting - I'm going to ask you to remove it from your vocabulary all together.  Dieting is from now on a bad word!!  I know I've used it - so sue me - but from this point on, the D word is no longer allowed to be used to refer to my weight loss.

So, the one thing that I have learned the past four months has been the key to my success.  It's enabled me to stick with my weight loss, and it's the key component that I was missing all along.  What is it you ask??  Exactly what the title says - I can have my cake AND eat it.

So, what the hell does that mean?? The one thing that I did this time around that I've never done before is get rid of the D word, and focus on completely changing my whole lifestyle.  That means what I eat, my whole family eats.  What do I eat?? Anything I bloody well want.  The key to that, though, cooking healthy!! I eat pizzas, hamburgers, steaks, carbs, desserts - and even chocolate!! You have all seen those commercials that claim you can eat anything you want and still lose weight if you take their pills?? Well, they got half of it right.  You can eat what you want - it's how your prepare it that will make the difference.

I've had a few people ask me to post recipes of the food I eat.  Well, the simpliest way to do that is give my resources for the foods I prepare.  I use Guilt Free Cooking, Better Homes & Garden Eat Well, Lose Weight, $7 Healthy Cookbook, and Allrecipes.com.  Every Sunday, I make a meal plan for the week for the dinners we're going to eat and then I make a shopping list and go grocery shopping.  My hubby and I divide the cooking responsibilities - so that makes it a lot easier.  The secret's not in what I eat, but how it's prepared.  I can make pretty much anything I want - I just use healthy ingrediants.  I use lean meats, whole wheat pastas, and fat free dairy products.  Instead of frying in oil, I sautee in cooking spray.  Rather than having mashed potatoes, I have boiled or I make mashed potatoes with fat free sour cream instead of milk and butter.  The second key is portion size.  I make sure I stick to 3-4ozs of meat, 1/2 cup of carbs, and then load on the veggies.  I have dessert recipes that are fabulous too.  I make sure that I stay within my 1200-1400 calorie range each day by mentally noting how many calories I'm eating at each meal. 

Losing weight is my key goal, but I want to make sure the weight stays off after it's gone.  The only way to really ensure that happens is to eat healthy FOREVER!! That's such a scary word, I know, but it's the truth.  I'll let you in on a secret, though, it's not bad at all.  The things I eat now are so much more tasty and enjoyable than any of the crap I used to eat.  They aren't hard to prepare, and our grocery bill has actually DECREASED since this change.  I know a lot of people whine about how expensive it is to eat healthy - but it's not really.  Cut out the chips, soda, and other crap from your grocery bill and you'll be surprised of the difference.

Lastly, I want to quickly touch on "cheating".  Now that's a word that should also join the D word - but I'm going to let it stay.  Changing your lifestyle to a healthy one doesn't mean that every once in a while you can't enjoy the sweet satisfaction of junk food.  My family occasionally likes to go out and eat dinner at a place that lacks the "healthy option" menu - but I don't let it stress me out.  I savor every bite of it, and then work out harder the next day.  I enjoy a slice of Domino's or a McDonald's hamburger once in a blue moon - but I enjoy it, and move on.  Enjoying these little things as luxury items isn't so bad - just don't make a habit of it.  So, you eat something you shouldn't one night - big whoop - it's not the end of the world!! So, once again I will say HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO!!  (Just try to stick to low calorie cake, or a nice small sliver of the bad stuff on special occasions).

Till next time.  :)

Heading Off to Boot Camp!!

Don't worry, I'm not joining a branch of the military, I'm talking about FITNESS Boot Camp!!  In my day, and maybe still today, it was known as "fat camp", but I like fitness boot camp so much better.

While browsing around on a gym website the other day, I came across a flyer promoting their "boot camp" services.  The camp consists of a fitness program that's held three times a week for six weeks.  The sessions are all 90 minutes long, and are basically guaranteed to kick your ass.  The camp is run by several professional fitness "drill sargeants", that work on endurance, muscle toning, strength training and cardio. 

If I had read a flyer like that 6 months ago, I would of said "ha! Yeah right!" That was not my reaction after reading it.  I started getting that little excitement bubble in my stomach - and no, I wasn't hungry.  I decided to send an email requesting more information.  Today, I got a call from the camp organizer that is actually an ex drill sargeant from the army, by the way.  He was really nice, really supportive, and gave me a lot of great information.  The camp starts June 2nd, costs $249, and he thinks I sound like a perfect candidate.  We spoke for about fifteen minutes about my progress thus far, my lack of current motivation to work out, and my desire for a challenge.  He thinks the boot camp will help with all of those things.

After my discussion, I decided for definate that I'm going to do it.  I have an appointment Friday with him to sign up and he'll give me more information about the things I will be doing while "at camp".  So, move aside Biggest Loser, this fat girl is about to enter the world of extreme workout!!  Let's see if I'm so excited 4 weeks from now...LOL

Till next time. ;)

Daily Dose of Crazy!

Before writing my post yesterday, I took a few minutes to read back over some previous posts.  I soon realized that the blog had taken a shift from what I wanted it to be to what I feared it would become.  I never intended to start this blog to record my weekly weight loss results - it was SUPPOSED to be a blog that shared my thoughts, feelings, and tips on how I'm losing weight.  So, as of today, I'm going to try and update the blog daily.  I want it to be more like a personal blog than a "informational" blog - but I do want to share some of the things that I do to make life easier.  Each day, I'll try and come up with a topic to discuss - and we'll see how we go. 

Today's installment:  Breakfast

I'll admit it, I used to be the worst person when it came to eating breakfast.  There are many excuses why - lack of time, too busy sitting at the computer desk, not hungry, etc.  My personal preference when it came to breakfast was about 6 cups of coffee - and then I was good to go.  That was until about noon when the hunger pangs set in.  I would then find the nearest McDonald's or gas station to grab "a quick bite" which consisted of a nice fried something or other.  Not good.

So, when I decided to start losing weight (again) I had to re-evaluate the whole breakfast thing.  Now, here's where I have to disagree with all the "experts" out there that preach how important it is to lay out a daily meal plan so that everything is nice and planned out so there's no reason to skip breakfast.  I tried it - I created my first week's meal plan, got up the next day, and then thought "I really don't feel like eating scrambled egg whites on toast".  Immediate start of disaster.  Now, don't get me wrong, I do make a weekly meal plan for dinners.  It's so much easier to coordinate what's for dinner each day and know who's cooking ahead of time - so we plan dinners (will talk about some other time).  Back to breakfast.   So, here's a solution I found that WORKED:  I decided to start looking at some options for breakfast that I could eat on the run.  I was amazed at the options that were out there - and how much more appealing they were to me.  So, here's what I suggest:

Find a few options that you find appealing for breakfast.  My favs are Fiber One cereal bars (in yummy flavors like chocolate and almond), Weight Watchers muffins, Fiber One Caramel Delight and Raisen Bran cereals, Soy Joy fruit bars and toast with Smuckers sugar free jelly.  Depending on my mood each morning, I grab the one that appeals to me the most.  I have an option if I'm in a hurry, if I don't feel like taking too long to fix breakfast, and something if I'm home.  I find that I now wake up each morning and think "today's a Fiber One cereal day" or "my blueberry WW muffins are calling my name". 

So - today's daily dose of crazy in a nutshell??  DON'T plan your week's worth of breakfasts.  Find a few options to keep around the kitchen, and then get up in the morning and grab something.  Now, this only works if you actually GRAB something.  Ditch the excuses - there aren't any good ones for my suggestion.  If you're not hungry when you first get up - stick a cereal bar in your purse before you leave the house...trust me, the hunger will call eventually. 

Till next time.  ;)

Slack Week

Since my race, and my knee injury, I have been taking it easy. That's really an understatement - I've sat on my lazy ass doing nothing is a better way of putting it. Training for the race really gave me a purpose to get out to the track or on the treadmill every day, and now that it's over I'm having a hard time getting the motivation I need to start again.

Don't worry, I haven't fallen off the wagon. Quite the contrary, in fact. My eating stays on track, watching my calories, eating healthy, all that jazz - but I just HAVE to get some motivation to start working out again.

Dear hubby wants to get our "home gym" organized because my work out space has become smaller and smaller over the past few weeks. The room doubles as a storage room, but it's now 70% stored crap and 30% work out space. It's really hard to focus on working out when I'm surrounded by towers of boxes. Maybe, once that is done, I can get back in there and start working out again. Until then, I'm going to dust off my workout DVDs and start doing some weight training. I've definately got the cardio stuff down, but the sagging skin is starting to appear - not good. I've got to start working on toning, or I'm going to have some issues. Moving aside fat rolls is one thing - but I don't want to replace the fat rolls with saggy skin..EWWW!! I know, TMI - but it's the truth.

I managed to break the 230 mark this week. I'm now down to 228lbs!! That I'm happy about - although it's taken me 2 weeks to lose 4lbs. That's not so good. If I was working out, I'm sure the number would be double - so I should try using that as a motivation. I'd really like to shed 29lbs this summer so that by the time I start teaching in the fall - I'll be less than 200lbs. Wow, it's so unreal to see a goal so close. The last time I was under 200lbs was 10 years ago!!

Ok, so there's this week's update - Till next time. :)